


Working it Out

by AwkwardSquiid, RedWind



Category: Star Wars Legends: Sith Era - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Original Character(s), Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-13 09:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11757195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardSquiid/pseuds/AwkwardSquiid, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedWind/pseuds/RedWind
Summary: The Force is mysterious, always changing, never in a straight line. Destinies intertwined with each other. Two that should not be together. On each planet they find themselves on together, the love grows stronger, a need both eventually cannot escape.





	1. Tatooine ~ Tavos

**Author's Note:**

> We own nothing but Tarya and Tavos.

**Written by Squiid.**  

Tavos hated Tatooine.

It was hot, miserable, and filled with all sorts of places and people he just wanted to avoid. For example, the bantha merchant that kept giving him sideways glances. Or the Weequay slave owner who was definitely, most certainly wondering why a Twi'lek was stalking through the streets of Mos Ila with a lightsaber hanging at his side. The combination of desert heat, lack of wind, and the shady cantinas were enough to drive the already on-edge Sith _over_ the edge.

Most importantly, he was regretting wearing the black cloak.

The red-skinned Twi'lek Inquisitor had been to Tatooine already, at least once, but it didn't change the strange looks he got. Covered in black tattoos, eyes as bleached gold as a Sith's could get, and a clear ex-slave, Tavos mentally agreed that it _did_ make sense he was an unusual sight. That's how it had been at the Sith Academy, and that's how it was anywhere else in Imperial space. Twi'leks- slaves- just _weren't_ Sith. They were slaves; nothing more, nothing less. And for Tavos, it had just been his luck he happened to be extremely Force-sensitive. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that if that hadn't been the case, he'd be dead at the bottom of a slave pen.

Now, here he was, killing people for the Empire.

Becoming Sith had been no laughing matter, either. It had been bloody, brutal, and gruesome, much like his times as a slave had been. Tavos had quickly learned that striking the first and last blow was imperative, especially in the Academy. Abandoning any existing morality had been easy once Tavos figured out the anarchy among the Sith. And though it had gotten him branded as "insane", (which was mostly true, if he was being honest with himself) at least he was still _breathing_.

Tavos made his way through Mos Ila, dodging traders and soldiers as best he could. The tall buildings rose above the sandy streets as the suns blazed down onto Tatooine's surface, resulting in plenty of figures huddling underneath tents and building over-hangings. Tavos' long, tattooed lekku curled around his shoulders, and his whole body had started to internally melt in the heat. Tavos glared up at the two suns, cheerfully burning the planet's residents alive. The noisy and blazing hot environment had already distracted Tavos so much he could barely remember who he was even here to kill. Some important Republic general, most likely. So, find the nearest Republic fort and then just kill everyone. Simple enough.

Finally, the tall, sandstone buildings of Mos Ila had split away, revealing open desert. Tavos squinted, scanning the horizon. Some rocks, the carcass of some long-dead animal, and...sand. Lots and lots of sand. Why in the galaxy did a planet need so much _sand_?

Tavos shed his cloak, pulling it off and slinging it over his shoulder, leaving him wearing only his Sith robes. He was about to pull out his datapad to see who exactly he had been sent to kill, when a strange contrast against the desert sand caught his eye. Tavos narrowed his eyes, trying to find the source of the unusual glimmer in the sand.

Finally, he caught sight of it- a light colored form several hundred meters away, a color that Tavos was sure belonged to no native creature on Tatooine. His curiosity piqued, Tavos abandoned the thought of completing his assigned murder and started towards the strange object. 

As he neared it, the shape became even more defined. To Tavos' surprise, it wasn't an object or even an animal- it was clearly a humanoid figure, one he recognized to be alien (possibly given away by the pale blue skin). As Tavos got nearer to it, he realized it was not an it but a _she_ \- a young female Togruta, wearing strange clothing Tavos had never seen before. She was much smaller than him, most likely younger, too. She had the montrals of a Togruta, these particular ones a purple shade, and though Tavos had never met one in person, he managed to recognize the species quick enough. 

He knelt down beside the young alien. She seemed to be breathing, though unconscious. For a long moment, Tavos considered his options. One, leave the Togruta to die out here in the desert. Two, take her back to Mos Ila and get her the assistance she clearly needed; she wasn't the first person Tavos had encountered to have been passed out from the heat of Tatooine. Tavos thought for a moment longer- until he caught sight of the Togruta's weapon.

It was a lightsaber, and definitely not a Sith's lightsaber. Tavos suddenly wondered why he hadn't realized it before; the young alien had a distinct Force aura about her, the sort of Light that Tavos occasionally felt around Jedi. But as he mentally probed deeper into her mind, Tavos wasn't repelled like he usually was when using the Force to investigate someone's presence. In fact, he actually felt _drawn_ to her, as if some invisible force was not only physically pulling him towards her, but trying to convince him to help her...for whatever reason.

"Well, if you're that insistent, then I suppose I must," Tavos muttered under his breath to himself. He carefully scooped the Togruta out of the sand. She was light, and Tavos realized carrying her back would be almost effortless. He turned around and headed back to Mos Ila, scattering sand as he went.

When he was about halfway back, suddenly it dawned on him that he was helping a Jedi. The sworn enemy of the Sith.

_You've gotta be kriffin' kidding me._

But he never once considered leaving her where he had found her.

\---

Tavos carried the Togruta through Mos Ila, until finally, he reached some sort of place that was passable as a hotel. All Tavos had to do was glare at the hotel keeper and drop a few credits on the table, and he found himself unlocking the door of one of the rooms. He had managed to convince 2V-R8 to come from the spaceport and help him, without giving him details on why; Tavos didn't know the first thing about healing, and it was a little depressing that his ship droid knew more than he did on the subject. Luckily it had worked, and with 2V's programming, the Togruta's heatstroke had been identified and partially cured. 

The room itself looked like Tatooine- sandstone walls, a brown rug, and a cot with thin sheets. One window opened to overlook half of the city, and gave them a rather beautiful view of the two setting suns, turning the sky purple and red. Tavos lay stretched out on the slightly uncomfortable wooden couch, the tips of his lekku making small, strange movements that rather confused him. 

The Togruta lay on the cot, looking a little better than she had last, though she still remained unconscious. Tavos was quite sure when she woke up and there was a Sith lounging nearby she'd attack him outright, but at least it was peaceful at the moment. Tavos tried to awkwardly avoid looking at her, even though it was just the two of them in the hotel room. The strange pull in his gut towards the Togruta had become a little more evident; Tavos wasn't sure why he kept having that feeling, but it took quite a bit of effort to ignore it. 

For now, he might as well just wait for her to wake up.


	2. Tatooine ~ Tarya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We didn't explain this in the first chapter, but odd chapters are written by Squiid and is in Tavos' Pov while the even chapters are handled by RedWind, and are written in Tarya's Pov.

Last thing she remembered before blacking out..how much she hated Tatooine. 

The council did not inform her that the planet with two suns was a  _desert_ planet. Though, she partially blamed it on herself. Being raised in the middle of Hoth were her parents hid her did not give any opportunity to go off world, and she didn't exactly read a lot on planets before she was shipped off for her training on Tython. But, the second she stepped out of the station and felt the suns beating down on her back, Tarya knew she would hate it. 

At least it got better, though, better was the understatement for that day. The council did send her to explore the culture and lifestyle that Tatooine, but they had neglected the fact Tarya did not take to warm desert heat well. Hoth had left her numb to the cold, and it absorbed into her skin that it now held a permanent chill to whoever touched it. Blue pigmentation was strange enough to outsiders, but the frost that never left her skin only added to the fact she was alien in a group the word 'alien' should not exist in. The Empire use that word, to shun those who are not human and pure blood Sith, but the Jedi..they too use that word. They may not say it to her face, but that never stopped her from overhearing them. Silence was a skill many Shadows mastered, Tarya was no exception.

Though, she wondered how she ended up here. In Mos Ila, deep in Empire territory, in a bed, next to someone who had such a connection to the Dark Side she did not have to open her eyes to know how corrupted they were. Oh, yeah, that was something to think about. How in the universe did information from some sketchy guide lead her to running out of water and passing out the Force knows how close to  _kriffing_ Mos Ila! 

Tarya did not like Tatooine at all. 

Groaning, she decided it just wasn't worth it to continue laying around, and just take a glance at her Dark Side rescuer. Cracking open an eye, Tarya noticed from the beginning the inside of the room looked strangely like the desert outside. Sand bleached walls that looked faintly like the canyons, a grainy brown rug that smelled faintly of one of those rats she noticed at the space station. Sunset poured in through the windows, Tarya squinting her eyes to avoid the painful sting of heat. A robotic whirl sounded next to her, the clink of metal on the floor as something moved. 

"Master, she's awake!" said the stranger. 

_Oh kriff_

He was gigantic, towering over her, covered in black robes and she even noticed the appearance of a purple shirt as he moved to stand and judge her with those piercing gold eyes. Two red lekku ran down his back, covered in black tattoos that stood out in the light, casting a shadow over the bed. He was the one reeking the Dark Side in this room, he was a Sith. Tarya's breath hitched, one hand reaching for one of her lightsabers, the other she held out in front of her, in case he tried to do anything. For a second, she was surprised she was left with her weapons, or that no one in Mos Ila identified her as a Jedi. The Sith just stood there, his eyes scanning her body and stopping at her frostbite scars, a frown appearing on his face. Her scars were an imperfection she was not happy to be judged about by strangers, much less by a Sith. Her fear began to mix with anger, and she bared her fangs, her montrals making small, unhappy movements. The Sith was unfazed, except for the small smirk that poked at the corners of his mouth. The droid made a small chirp noise that made the Sith tear his gaze from her to his piece of machinery. Tarya sensed concern from the Sith, a rare emotion coming from them.

But marveling at the Sith would have to wait, opportunities were not given out freely. With a wave of her hand, she disappeared, the Force allowing her to slip into stealth and slip down to the streets. The droid let out an alarm and she noticed the Sith whirl around in surprise, racing out of the room to, what she assumed to be, find her. 

Surprisingly, the streets in Mos Ila were almost empty, except for the spare droid or shifty person wondering around. Also surprisingly, speeders were left unguarded and unchained next to a cantina. With the Sith still unaware where she was, Tarya ran towards the speeders, hopping onto one and revving the engine. Waving her hand once more, she felt the Force slip away and the cooler air kiss her skin. The Sith spun around with a bewildered look on his red face. Smirking, Tarya revved the engine once more and took off, waving goodbye as she passed.

"So long, handsome!" Tarya called back, winking.

 

She reached Anchorhead by nightfall, breathing deeply as the adrenaline wore off and the cold air of night sunk in. Tarya almost rolled off the bike once her hotel room came into view. Troopers gathered around her once she parked it, questioning the Imperial decal she had failed to notice when she was escaping the Sith. There was nothing she had to say, turning them down with a tired wave of her hand.

By the time the crowd dispersed(though some had suspicious glares on their faces), she fell onto her Republic issued sheets with a sigh, slipping into sleep easily, thoughts of the Sith she called handsome in her mind.

 

Tarya had a smile on her face.  


	3. Hoth ~ Tavos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters like these take far longer for both Squiid and Red to make because both have to come in and write their character's parts. If the writing sounds a lot different, that's because both RedWind and Squiid wrote on this chapter. It will not be the last chapter in which they do this.

So, Hoth was an upgrade.

Tavos marched through the knee-deep snow, replaying his encounter with the Togruta in his head for the millionth time that month. Her teasing comment, the way she had been out the door and gone before he could even do anything. Tavos glowered at the white snow and kicked it with a boot, sending a powdered clump of it flying up into the air. Behind the red-skinned Twi'lek, the pirate Andronikos Revel followed, looking cold and unamused, his tan skin and red tattoo on his face standing out against the stark white snow. "Now, is it just me or are you inconspicuously _angrier_ than you were yesterday?"

Tavos turned to glare at the pirate, looking down his nose at him. Andronikos may have been tall given human standards, but Twi'lek males towered above even decently tall humans. "You're very funny," he deadpanned, his red lekku swishing in the wintry breeze.

"Yeah, I know. We've already had this conversation with Ashara- do I have to teach both Jedi _and_ Sith the art of sarcasm?" Andronikos pulled up the collar of his "borrowed" snowcoat. "I swear, I'm the only civilized person on that ship."

"You _are_. Khem doesn't count." Tavos continued his half trot, half trudge through the snow, bounding onto a snow dune, leering out into the horizon. It was, ironically, practically a reverse Tatooine. A desert, but this time, it was a _snowy_ desert. Tavos was honestly enjoying the climate change, and the cool air of Hoth was soothing against his heat-radiating skin- though it was starting to get a little _too_ cold for his taste. "Now, let's just find this ghost and get off this planet."

" _That's_ the spirit, Sith." 

As Tavos walked down the slope, he couldn't help but think more about that moons-blazing frustrating Togruta. She kept appearing in his thoughts, for some wild, weird reason. Her strange scars, the cheekiness he had never seen in a Jedi before realized in the brief few seconds of seeing her, and then her vanishing. His traitorous mind insisted he was, of course, the reason she had left. What sane Jedi would want to be in the same _room_ as him, much less... _oh, I don't know, maybe sit down and have a friendly chat with over tea or something?_

Tavos sighed, and he could've mentally slapped himself, he would have. He was here on a mission- find that huttspawned ghost and leave. And drink his tea by himself, in his quarters, while listening to the ghost of his great-great-whatever-grandfather whisper murderous thoughts into his head. _Brilliant_.

The life of a Sith was trivial.

Before Tavos could get too deeply lost in his thoughts, the sudden beeping of a holocom interrupted the comfortable silence between pirate and Sith. Andronikos picked it up, engaging in a brief conversation with what sounded like Ashara over his earpiece. The call ended with some muffled groaning from Andronikos. "Sorry, Sith, but it looks like you're alone for the trip. Something's up with the _Fury_  and they can't figure out how to fix it-an engine's smoking or somethin'. Couldn't hear her very well." The pirate sighed. "It might not be the _Sky Princess_ , but I'm not leavin' the ship in the hands of a possessed monster and a Jedi." With that, not waiting for a response from Tavos, Andronikos pulled up his hood and stalked the direction they had come, back towards the Imperial base where their ship was docked.

_Oh, fine. Leave the Sith to his own devices. We already know where that gets us._

Tavos took out his map, squinting through the flurry of snowflakes to read it. It looked like he was getting closer to the site where the ghost was; but Tavos had never been the best with geography. He put the map away, and then looked up. Suddenly, something had changed on the horizon- a figure in the distance, seemingly headed the same direction he was. And it was a _familiar_ figure- blue skin, purple montrals...

_No way._

_Haha, fate, very funny._

Tavos picked up his pace, probably awfully noticeable against the white snow- a red Twi'lek wearing black and purple gear, big surprise. Tavos, only half considering the fact she might not be too happy to see the same Sith she had seen a month ago (but hey, he _had_ saved her life, here's to hoping), called out to her still-distant figure, "Oh, hey! I remember you. Funny galaxy, this."

Her back tensed up, and his stomach sank. He could tell she was debating running away from him, from her obvious wide stance. A hand was on her saber, not yet unhooking it from her belt, nor turning around to face him. "Hey! You alright?" he asked, stepping towards her, his hands out to show he meant no harm. 

Wrong move. 

She just..disappeared, into thin air. Unnatural for a Jedi, to run away from him. Though, he did not blame her. Tavos sighed, continuing on the snowy path. He wasn't disappointed, rather, distraught. If he saw any random Jedi in the field, he would've killed them, but something inside him made him resist killing her, and for that, he would ponder on.

He hadn't had to think long, his location was right in front of him. The Starship Graveyard, they call it. A cruiser loomed over him, imposing yet graceful. Pirates shouted impatiently, most waving their guns like idiots as they waited for orders to be fulfilled. Tavos supposed he should give them credit-not anyone could hold on to a ship for this long, fighting both the Republic and Empire on numerous fronts. Though, he did not come here to kill pirates, although that would be fun, he came here for a ghost.

_ Seems like most of my missions revolve around ghosts now that I think about it  _

Entering the ship was no problem for him, he was met with little resistance. For all the bravery the pirates put up, they were of little threat to him. Tavos could not fathom how these pirates could beat both the Republic and Empire soldiers, yet were of little challenge to a Sith like him. 

The crunch of snow died away as he stepped into an open corridor, the cold sound of durasteel under his feet. Breathing deeply, he swiftly made his way to the tomb that insightful archaeologist described. As he rounded a corner, a Tauntaun's roar sounded behind him. Tavos pivoted on a heel, his lightsaber activated, casting a red glow on the floor. A mediocre sized Tauntaun was standing in the way of his exit path, stopping it's feet and projecting daggers at him with it's eyes. That wasn't his main concern though, a rider was dismounting the beast. The figure had a hood over them, something pointy protruding out of it, lighter purple in color from what he could tell in the lighting. Goggles covered their face as they turned to face Tavos, he could hear their breath hitch when they spotted him. They were shorter than their mount, and though a jacket enveloped them, he could tell they had a small frame. 

The hooded figure pulled back the hood with slow fingers as he moved forward, curling his lip in displeasure. The hood fell, and..

It was the Togruta. He knew the montrals that plagued his dreams every night. Goggles may cover her face, but Tavos was no stranger to it. She slowly removed the goggles too, gulping. 

Her voice sounded like honey, smooth yet sweet. It was a bit high pitched, he blamed her nerves for that. Yet, it was the most lovely thing he had heard in his life other than 'murder'. 

"I suppose, we fight now?" she asked, removing her cloak. Her gear had changed, she now was barefooted, a strange sight to see. Both her hands moved to her own sabers, activating them with a roll of her wrists. His lekku gave a small twitch, the pulling sensation came back once more. Tavos shook his head, much to his own confusion. Inside his chest, he could feel his heart pounding, he didn't want her to run this time. 

"I..I don't want to fight you," he forced out through clenched teeth. She paused, her figure relaxing. She let out a soft "Oh", putting her lightsabers away. Tavos followed suit. Her brows furrowed, her mouth opened and closed as if she was going to debate him. Finally, she took a step forward. He took a step back. 

_ Distance is the key, please don't come any closer.  _

_ I might lose myself.  _

His body was in turmoil. He wanted to be close, to feel the touch of her cold skin, to..he didn't know what he wanted to do to her. He didn't like it. The tomb entrance bumped against his back, she was getting closer. Tavos closed his eyes, holding his breath, turning his head away from the Jedi. 

"So, truce?" 

_ What? _

"I won't ask again, truce or no truce? That tomb is the entrance to a very important pirate captain that I have negotiate with and  _ I'm running out of time _ ," she repeated once more. Opening his eye's, he was greeted by her face, well, her montrals. Kriff he forgotten how short this woman was. Her hand was held out in front, as if she was expecting him to shake her hand with his own. The idea of contact..with her..well it was daunting. Tavos had resisted the urge before in Tatooine, he could do it again. 

_ It's a simple handshake, what's the worse it can do?  _

Apparently, it could do a lot. 

Their palms met and flicker raced through him. A low vibration bubbled in his chest, unfamiliar to him. He locked on to her face, her eyes were closed, he noticed her montrals flashing. All to soon, she dropped the handshake. 

"Tarya," she gasped, apparently breathless. Tarya, a delicate name for something who was honed to be a weapon. "Tavos," he replied, bowing slightly. The ends of Tarya's mouth quirked up, and she sidestepped out of the way, giving him room to move. 

"So, Tavos, what's so important that you have to be brooding in the dark next to a tomb for?" she inquired with a curious wave of her hand. He chuckled, placing a skittish hand on the back of his neck. 

"I'm afraid I can't exactly tell you that," he replied, glancing away from those peering eyes that seemed to pour into him. 

She shrugged. "Well then, do you mind opening the tomb then? I was just planning to carve a hole, but if you seem so concerned, then you open it." 

**Author's Note:**

> Most of what we're talking about is just our silly headcannons, so take our inaccuracies with a grain of salt :3


End file.
